It's back-to-school time, and for most of us (aside from those lucky few who have had the opportunity to abandon on-campus housing for something a bit more luxurious), back to the dorms. While there are always pros to living in a rented apartment or house (think no RAs, no curfew, and  the freedom to eat, drink, and sleep as much, and whatever, you want) the downside is the uninvited guests that may be lurking at your new digs.

Bed bugs have become a HUGE problem across the country, and are unfortunately spreading like wildfire. With these little "friends," it’s practically like having another roommate that bums everything off of you; from your blood to your bedding NOTHING is safe. While these nasty insects have been known to make appearances in numerous types of environments, colleges areas are especially at risk given the transient nature of students traveling back and forth to study abroad, go on spring break, and visit their friends and family back home.

With bedbugregistry.com, it’s easy to check local areas (like hotels and apartment buildings)  to see if they've been infected by these pests. While the premises of the website seems genius, there are a few quotes that cause me to question the authenticity of each and EVERY post submitted to the website (recently the people over at Gawker.com submitted one from Barack Obama as a joke). However, if you're buggedby bugs like I am, this is definitely one website you want to check out BEFORE you put down a pricey apartment deposit.

— By Erin Cunningham, George Washington University